Vanished
by Dixxy Mouri
Summary: Prequel to a forthcoming trilogy. Luffy and the other Straw Hats search for Sanji and Nami after they fail to come home from a supply mission. Times passes, and things begin to look very, very grim for the fate of the cook and navigator.


Vanished

By Dixxy Mouri

* * *

February 1

* * *

"LUFFY!"

Nami grabbed their captain by the collar, glaring at him with murderous intent in her eyes. Luffy calmly blinked back at her as she shook him, letting his head bob back and forth as his navigator had her tantrum (really, it was the best way to deal with her, he'd decided). "YOU SPENT ALL OF OUR MONEY! WHY DID YOU SPEND ALL OF OUR MONEY!?"

"Because Usopp, Chopper, Brook and I went to a puppet show!"

Nami dropped Luffy (and the captain's accomplices quickly made themselves disappear), breathing heavily as she stared down at him. "You spent all of our money – the money we need for food and supplies – on a . . . _puppet _. . . show?" The eerie calm of her voice sent Franky to go look for Usopp and his group, while Zoro , Sanji, and Robin stared in annoyance, adoration, and amusement.

"They were puppets with sparklers! And we got lunch! And dinner!"

The next several minutes were filled with undecipherable screaming and yelling from Nami as even Zoro and Sanji contemplated getting away from her (for fear of their own lives) and Luffy just frowned and tried to apologize to her. Robin finally bloomed a pair of arms between the two and gently separated them, smiling and trying to calm them down.

"While I am amused by this argument, it won't get us our supplies, so I would suggest we focus on a solution to that problem before we continue with the delightful yelling and screaming," she said. Robin smiled at Nami. "Miss Navigator, you're a talented thief, perhaps you could rob a pirate ship for us? The people in this town don't seem very frightened of pirates, so as long as we don't harm them I see no reason for us to have any difficulty acquiring food from them if we give them proper compensation. Additionally, because I know it is of concern to Cook-san, would it be all right if you left their food stores alone so they do not starve?" She smiled warmly at Sanji.

As the hiding crewmembers came out of hiding and everyone else thought about this where they stood, it made sense. Nami WAS a very talented thief (and extortionist), so they could just send her to get money, let her keep as much "commission" as she wanted, and they'd all eat well that evening. Until then it was whatever little food stores they had left and fish for breakfast and lunch.

"Sounds good to me," said Zoro.

"Yeah, Nami is a pretty good thief," said Usopp.

"Absolutely not!"

Everyone was surprised to see Sanji look so angry at the idea, most of all Nami. "What, Sanji-kun?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips and approaching him. "Do you suddenly have a problem with stealing from pirates? Remember, we're pirates ourselves – if you didn't want to be a pirate you should have stayed on the Baratie!"

"I have no problem with attacking other pirates – I have a problem with sending you off by yourself to face pirates on the Grand Line!" Sanji calmed, took a drag on his cigarette, and frowned. "Nami-san, you're used to robbing pirates from the East Blue, which we all know is the weakest ocean – barring me, of course, and a certain rubber freak and green haired swordsman-"

"Hey Zoro, is he talking about us?"

"Do you see any other rubber freaks?"

"Nah, I guess not."

Sanji sighed at the two in exasperation before turning back to Nami, a pleading, concerned look in his eyes. "But the Grand Line is different. The pirates here are a lot tougher than, I don't know, Buggy or someone in his league. There are men out here who can kill you just by LOOKING at you, and I'm worried you'll get hurt."

"Cook-san has a good point," said Robin, placing a finger on the side of her face in thought. "Perhaps you should go with her to make sure she's well defended? Especially seeing as her normal method of defense is being repaired by Long Nose-kun." Nami grumbled at the reminder – some Marine had bent the Perfect ClimaTact in several places, rendering it useless but not irreparable. But Robin's point stood – without it she'd be in a lot of trouble if she was found in a hold of a pirate ship with a bag of treasure.

Sanji looked at Nami expectantly, grinning like an idiot. "Nami-swan! I'll protect you with the very depths of my soul and my unending love for you, my sweet! I'll make sure no one lays a hand on you and then we can sail off together into the sunset and live happily ever after, my love, my life, my darling tangerine scented angel of the seas!"

"Whatever. Just don't do anything to cause a scene and kick some ass if I need you too."

"ANYTHING MY LOVE!"

And so, the Straw Hats watched as their cook and navigator left the ship, Nami arguing in annoyance with Sanji as the cook happily brushed it off as his angel/princess/beauty/whatever being so gorgeous/pretty/beautiful. The navigator bopped him over the head with her staff and reminded him to stay quiet when they boarded a ship to rob.

They didn't come back.

* * *

"SANJI! NAMI! I'M HUNGRY!" Luffy was perched on the railing of the Thousand Sunny, calling for his cook and his navigator. They were supposed to be back with food soon, weren't they? He pouted. Why was it taking them so long to get back? It was way past lunch time (although Robin had stepped in for the blond and made something that tasted okay but still wasn't Sanji's cooking) and almost time for his afternoon snack! Where WERE they!? "SANJI! MEAT!"

Luffy watched the path they'd taken to find money for food. That had been hours ago and they still hadn't come back. He frowned. They needed to hurry back soon. He didn't like it when they weren't there, and damn it, he was hungry! They really shouldn't take so long just to get money and food. He scratched his head and sighed.

Maybe there was a lot of meat and they were having trouble carrying it all back to the ship.

* * *

Five hours had passed since they left. Just to be safe, Franky and Brook headed into town to see if they could find out what was taking so long. They took a Baby Den Den Mushi with them as an extra precaution and headed out onto the island, concern on everyone but Luffy's face. Luffy was still convinced that the cook and navigator were simply delayed a bit, but said that they could look just in case.

By the time seven hours had passed, Usopp had started pacing on the deck.

By the time eight hours had passed, Chopper was nervously fidgeting in the infirmary.

By the time nine hours had passed, Zoro was waiting with Luffy on deck, "polishing his swords".

By the time over ten hours had passed, Franky and Brook had returned with no luck.

* * *

As the twelve hour mark hit, Luffy was still waiting for them. "They must have gone on an adventure without us, right?" he said. He tried to smile. "It was probably so much fun they just forgot to invite us. That's all. They'll be back soon. We just have to wait for them. We can fish for food until they get back and then they'll tell us all about their adventure."

The rest of the crew exchanged a worried glance.

* * *

February 2

* * *

The twenty-four hour mark hit. No one had slept well, and Luffy had stayed on the railing, waiting for his friends to come back with money and food. Robin barely caught him as he fell forward, sleeping from exhaustion. It was at this point that Zoro and Usopp took control of the crew and organized a more thorough search party. Usopp advised Zoro stay on deck "to watch Luffy", though there was an unspoken agreement among the rest of the crew this was to prevent the swordsman from disappearing as well.

The island was searched high and low, but there was no sign of their cook or navigator to be found. None of the townspeople they spoke to had seen the blond cook or the red haired navigator or heard any of the other pirates in town complain about their ship being robbed. It was as if they had vanished off the island after disappearing from the Thousand Sunny's line of vision.

When Luffy woke up and realized what had happened, he ordered the crew to set sail.

"If they aren't here then they're somewhere out there. It's a big place, so we better start now."

* * *

February 6

* * *

It was Robin's birthday, and still no sign of the cook or navigator.

She looked at the clock on the wall of the girls' bedroom. It had been her birthday for ten minutes. She had never had a birthday surrounded by friends before – always on the run, or running with crowds that, in retrospect she wished she hadn't. This was supposed to be the first time she ever had a birthday party, but with Sanji and Nami missing, no one wanted it anymore – especially Robin.

"_Oh Robin-chwan! I'm going to bake you the most splendid birthday cake for your special day! Tell me what flavor you'd like? Chocolate? Strawberry? Lemon? And let me know what you want for dinner that night – I'll make it EXTRA special! Just say it, my princess, and I'll make your special day even MORE special!_"

"_Hey, Robin, if we're in port that day we should go shopping and get away from the Idiot Brigade for a little bit. We don't do girls' day out enough. I'll even buy you a couple of outfits – don't worry about paying me back for them, either! Of course I wouldn't do that for anyone else on the ship but don't tell the boys that! Shh!_"

Robin turned on her side, staring at the empty, neatly made bed beside hers. She sobbed.

* * *

February 10

* * *

Ace was in Impel Down and scheduled to be executed in two weeks.

At least, that was what the newspaper told them.

The news left Luffy torn in half. He couldn't let his brother die – he loved Ace as much as he loved his crew, if not more, but he couldn't give up searching for Sanji and Nami, either. Ace was his brother. Sanji and Nami were part of his crew. It wasn't a fair choice. He didn't want to leave Ace to die but he didn't want to abandon their search, either. His mind chased itself in circles until the rubber boy wanted to cry.

Luffy decided to head to Impel Down – after all, it was possible Sanji and Nami were there, too.

"Maybe a Marine caught them and didn't tell anyone on the island."

* * *

Feburary 19

* * *

Usopp was certain that this was the dumbest thing Luffy had ever wanted to do. Impel Down was very scary, and their attack on the front door had probably tipped off SOMEONE to up the security. He clutched Kabuto in terror and kept his mask over his features, and stayed very close to Zoro and Chopper. They had to find Ace, and maybe find Sanji and Nami. Maybe Sanji and Nami had been caught by someone who'd been slow to getting around to turning them in or maybe they'd resisted being taken long enough to stall for time.

"Hello, boys!"

Sogeking was ready to start bawling at the sound of Nami's voice. He turned to see her waving at them in the traditional Impel Down uniform amidst several downed guards, her cheery smile on her face and a light bounce in her step. She was a little dusty, but she was okay. The sniper felt a heavy weight being lifted off his heart – Sanji was probably somewhere in here as well, just as okay.

It was finally over – they had found them, and they were going to rescue Ace, and everything was going to be all right again. He started to cry, falling to his hands and knees as Chopper raced towards her, telling Nami he was glad she was okay and he was sorry if he said anything to make her leave. Even Zoro looked relieved.

But when Nami's hand touched her face and she turned into Mr. 2, their spirits sunk.

Ace had been a bit too stunned to really react when Luffy and a motley assortment of his crew and Impel Down prisoners suddenly showed up outside of his cell and broke him out. Part of him wanted to protest about how this wasn't honorable, or how it should have been Whitebeard saving him, or how he couldn't stand being rescued by his little brother, but the shock of it was too much.

"Come on, Ace, now we gotta go find my cook and my navigator!" he said.

"What?!" asked Ace, stumbling behind the rubber man.

"You heard me – Sanji and Nami went missing so they might be here! We gotta find them!"

Ace felt a pit in his stomach. He wasn't sure how he felt about being a side mission, but Sanji and Nami, from what he remembered of them, were all right. Luffy seemed pretty optimistic as he dragged him through the bowels of Impel Down looking for them, but Ace couldn't help but worry about what would happen if Luffy discovered they weren't okay.

_

* * *

On February 20, Monkey D. Luffy and his crew became the first pirates to ever successfully stage a jailbreak from Impel Down, releasing several high ranking and powerful revolutionaries (especially Emperio Ivankov and the two-toned Inazuma) and numerous notorious pirates and criminals (including Buggy the Clown, Mr. 3, and Mr. 2 Bon Clay). The most critical loss to Impel Down was Fire Fist Ace – the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates and the son of Gol D. Roger. _

* * *

February 21

* * *

"Aren't you going back to your island, Bon-chan?"

Luffy was squatting the railing of the Merry, looking at Mr. 2 with interest. They were still in the middle of trying to get people back to their respective crews with the notable exception of Ace, who had agreed to be Luffy's fill in navigator until they found Nami and Sanji. Currently, Sunny was docked at Kamabaka Kingdom, the island of the okamas.

But Mr. 2 Bon Clay was staring at the shores of the island sadly, like he was trying to make a decision. He hadn't joined Emporio Ivankov or Inazuma, who were greeted with cheers and tears of joy by the other okamas. The former Baroque Works Officer Agent stayed where he was, looking on as if he were nothing more than a stranger.

Mr. 2 turned to Luffy, a serious look in his eyes. "Straw Hat Chan, we're friends, aren't we?"

"Of course we are! You helped us rescue Ace from Impel Down and we were friends in Arabasta! You saved the Going Merry – even if you did try to hurt Vivi and destroy her kingdom." Luffy bopped Mr. 2 on the head and gave him a stern look. "Don't do that anymore, okay? Vivi is my friend, too, so you can't hurt her or her kingdom."

"Well of course I'm not going to do that now!" he said. He looked back at the island. "But, I need to ask you something, as a friend, Straw Hat." Luffy turned his head to the side, not sure what Mr. 2 wanted. "Would you . . . do you think it would be okay if I stayed with you and the other Straw Hats?"  
"You want to join my crew?"

Mr. 2 looked at Luffy, tears streaming down his face. "Yes! I want to be your friend!"

"Of course you can join my crew! We're friends and friends should be pirates together!" Luffy wrapped his arms around Bon Clay, laughing a little for the first time in weeks. He was no replacement for his cook and navigator, but he could still feel some joy in welcoming a new member of his crew. "Welcome to the crew, Mr. 2!"

"Please, call me 'Bentham'."

* * *

February 26

* * *

"CAPTAIN BUGGY!"  
"CAPTAIN!!!!!"

Buggy the Clown found himself suddenly surrounded by his sobbing crew, and he couldn't help but smile and return the massive embrace, feeling his own tears roll down his cheeks. "My crew! I missed you all, and I have flashily returned to you!" The crew wailed once more in joy as the Straw Hat pirates look on.

Once the hugging had died down but the Buggy Pirates remained in a pile of hugging, Buggy's head flew off his neck and sailed towards the Straw Hats, a sour pout on the man's face. Luffy crossed his arms as he faced his former enemy turned tedious ally. "All right, Buggy, we brought you back to your crew."

"Yes, yes you have," Buggy said. "And I, er, thank you for that. Flashily."

"Flashily? That wasn't very flashy," said Usopp.

"I'M A FLYING HEAD RIGHT NOW, WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT!?"

"As entertaining as this is, Mr. Clown, we do have a request," said Robin. Buggy's head turned to the archaeologist, still sour but attentive. "As you may or may not be aware, we're missing two members of our crew – it's one of the reasons we chose to invade Impel Down in the first place. Unfortunately we did not find them."

"How sad for you," said Buggy.

Zoro instinctly reached for his sword to threaten the clown, but a look from Luffy not only stopped him in his tracks but reminded the swordsman that, try as he might, he would not be able to hurt Buggy – at least, not without seastone or throwing him in a lake, first. He still gripped the hilt of Wado tightly.

"Regardless, we freed you during our search – I believe this means you owe us your life."

Buggy sighed. "Fine. Thank you for saving my life."

"I believe that our dear Nico Robin wants you to help us find Sanji and Nami," said Brook.

"Why should I?" asked Buggy. "I'm a pirate!"

Usopp glared, but happened to notice Buggy wasn't looking at Robin – he was looking at Luffy. In particular, Luffy's arm. Sensing a fight was about to brew (and not wanting one to start – not this close to Impel Down after a jail break) the sniper got an idea. "Say, Buggy, what are you looking at?" he asked casually.

Buggy turned to Usopp, still sporting a frown. "What's it to you?"  
"You keep looking at Luffy," said Usopp. "Why?"  
Luffy blinked, then noticed Buggy was looking at the armband Nami had given him on Thriller Bark – he hadn't taken it off since she and Sanji went missing, turning it into his own personal memorial to her. He pointed at it, confused – what the hell would Buggy want with it? "This?" Buggy nodded, grinning and floating towards it.

"Give it to me."

"What? No way!" said Luffy, putting his hand over it and backing away. "Nami gave this to me!"

"Are you mad!? Do you know what that is!? It's the secret to Captain John's treasure!"

"I don't care, it's a present from Nami!"

Catching on, Zoro stepped forward. "But if you personally brought Sanji and Nami back to use safely I bet Luffy would be willing to let you have the armband, right?" Luffy looked up at Zoro with a frown on his face. "Don't you want Nami and the stupid cook back?" Luffy nodded. "If they're more important to you than the armband, I think you know what to do."

Luffy stared blankly at Zoro.

"We can give the armband to Buggy IF he brings us Sanji and Nami," said Zoro.

"Oh, I get it!" Luffy turned to Buggy. "If you find them then you can keep it! But not now."

Buggy sighed, looked longingly at the armband, and then flew back to his body. "MEN! I WANT ALL RESOURCES DIRECTED TO FINDING CAT BURGLAR NAMI AND BLACK LEG SANJI AT ONCE! IF THEY'RE HARMED I WILL FLASHILY KILL YOU MYSELF!? DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?"

"YES, CAPTAIN BUGGY!"

* * *

February 28

* * *

"YOSH, WE GOT NEW - aww, that's all? 400 million?"

"Pirate Hunter Zoro – 240 million berries. What? That's it?"

"Hey, Robin went Supernova! Of course the fearsome Sogeking now boasts a bounty of 99 million berries."

"That means you just MISSED Supernova, Usopp. I didn't even get an increase!"

"Aw, that's okay reindeer gorilla – WHOA! 101 MILLION BERRIES? THAT'S SUPER!"

"YOHOHOHO! 90 million? Is that how much they're charging these days?"

"WOW! LOOK AT ACE-CHAN'S BOUNTY!"

"Yeah, well 85 million isn't anything to laugh at either, Benny!"

Robin paid no mind to her own bounty (now 123 million berries – Long Nose-kun was right, she WAS a Supernova now). She was busy mulling over the almost complete absence of Black Leg Sanji and Cat Burglar Nami in the report. It was only in a small note in the paper that even mentioned them, and Robin felt her heart break again as she read it:

_"Reports from Impel Down indicate that two other wanted members of the Straw Hat Pirates – Black Leg Sanji, bounty 77 million berries, and Cat Burglar Nami, bounty 16 million berries, were not involved in the raid on Impel Down or seen during the Straw Hat escape. Their whereabouts during the incident are unknown at this time."_

* * *

March 2

* * *

Usopp lit twenty candles on the second day of the third month, positioning them around the kitchen. Bentham watched the sniper in curiosity over a cup of coffee, unsure of, exactly, what the hell he was doing. He was still fairly new to the crew (as was Ace, though Ace was insisting his position with Luffy was temporary – only until Sanji and Nami were found) but this was a new ritual.

"Usopp-chan? What are you doing?"

The sniper didn't turn his head to Bentham and continued what he was doing, but answered his question as he fumbled with candle fourteen. "Well, I wanted to make a cake for today, but Sanji wouldn't like me wasting food. So I'm doing this instead." He finally got the candle to light and sighed. "Today . . . is Sanji's birthday. He'd be twenty today."  
"He IS twenty, Usopp."

Usopp and Bentham turned to see Zoro standing in the door, holding a lighter in one hand and a box of cigarettes in the other. "Zoro-chan, what are you doing with those? Aren't those Sanji-chan's cigarettes?" The swordsman ignored him, swiftly moving to sit at the table. He pulled Sanji's ash tray closer, looking at its contents stoicly.

The ashes from the last time Sanji used it were still sitting in the little bowl.

"The ship doesn't smell the same without the cigarettes," said Zoro.

Usopp grimly nodded. "Yeah. It doesn't."

Zoro removed one of the cigarettes and put it between his lips. Usopp and Bentham watched in awe as the swordsman cupped a hand over the smoke to light the cigarette – just like Sanji did – and took a long, deep breath. He held it for several seconds, before sputtering the cigarette out of his mouth, coughing and gagging as his lungs rejected the smoke.

"Zoro what the hell are you doing!?" asked Usopp.

Zoro turned to Usopp, still coughing. "It's for the crew. Someone has to smoke 'em while the stupid cook's not here. Might as well be me." He beat his chest and coughed a few more times, then closed his eyes and took in a few deep breaths. "If the stupid cook can handle these and still fight as well as he does, then so can I, damn it."

* * *

March 18

* * *

The Straw Hat Pirates had returned to Water 7.

Iceburg was very surprised – certainly he expected that it was possible they might visit again eventually, especially with the majority of Franky Family still living in the city, but he didn't expect another visit so soon. Franky had been the one to call his office, solemnly asking if the crew could speak with him. The tone in the cyborg's voice was worrisome, and Iceburg told his secretary to cancel his afternoon meetings.

Really, he was going to anyways, but he didn't expect to be doing this in their stead.

After tracking down Paulie and bringing the shipwright with him, they found the Thousand Sunny docked near the Franky Family house, where Franky and several of the other Straw Hats were greeting the family. Noticably new amongst the crew was a walking skeleton with an afro, Fire Fist Ace, and a man who appeared to be an okama from Kamabaka Island. Noticably absent from the group was the horny cook and the loose-dressing navigator.

Luffy looked up from where he was sitting and beckoned Iceburg over.

"Iceburg . . . we need your help."

* * *

April 7

* * *

It was a meeting she was only half looking forward to.

Her father wouldn't be happy to know she was sneaking out in the middle of the night to meet with pirates – she wasn't going to join them and she trusted them not to kidnap her, but it would still disappoint her father once he realized two of the pirates she was going to meet had previously worked so hard to take down their kingdom.

Luffy had said it was important but warned her that Nico Robin and Mr. 2 (apparently going by Bentham now) were among their ranks. He promised her up and down that neither of them would do anything to hurt her or her country or else he would personally kick their asses. Vivi wanted to ask further, but the somber tone in Luffy's voice as she said good-bye (it almost sounded like he was crying) sealed her lips as the Den Den Mushi fell quiet.

Vivi was going to need to ask Nami about this meeting when she saw her.

First they attack Enies Lobby, and then they invade Impel Down? She loved the Straw Hats (except for Nico Robin . . . and Franky but only because she really didn't know him) but some of their actions were getting a little ridiculous! What did they want to do now? Assassinate the Gorosei or Fleet Admiral Sengoku?

Vivi saw the ship beached in the spot Usopp had described. She was surprised to see Luffy's brother amongst the group and even more surprised to see what looked like a walking skeleton with an afro, but otherwise she saw everyone, giving a polite nod to the one called Franky and exchanging a silent, awkward exchange with the former Baroque Works operatives. Still, there was Luffy, and Zoro, and Usopp, and Tony-kun, and . . .

The princess stopped and looked around. "Where are Nami and Sanji-san?"

* * *

April 10

* * *

It was obvious that, whatever it was he'd heard on the Den Den Mushi, it was bad news.

What worried the other chefs at the Baratie, however, was Zeff's quiet, withdrawn response. The owner had locked himself in his office and hadn't spoken a word to anyone. At first Patty ordered the other idiots to get back to work, but as the minutes turned to hours and there was still no sign of the owner coming out of the office, the chefs decided to take action.

Patty and Carne busted the door down. "Owner Zeff!"

Their angered subsided when they saw the old man's eyes were red and wet from tears, his hands clutching a photograph of himself and Sanji taken not long after the Baratie had been opened. Zeff looked up at his senior chefs, shaking from distress. "I shouldn't have sent him to the Grand Line," he said quietly. "He wasn't ready yet."

* * *

Genzo knew something was amiss when he heard the commotion from inside of Nojiko's house.

It wasn't like Nojiko was a quiet woman – she was a watered down version of her mother, but not so watered that she lacked Bellemere's independence and confidence and vibrancy. But screaming and crashing were alarming, and the old man ran as quickly as he could the rest of the way to the house, bursting through the door and bracing himself for the worst.

Nojiko was sitting in the middle of the floor amidst the wreckage of the house. Some dishes, a lamp, nothing irreplaceable. Most of it was overturned furniture that would just need to be righted – cleanup would be easily done in a matter of an hour or two. The woman herself was unhurt, but was fuming angrily among the shards of her mess, her eyes narrowed. She noticed Genzo come in, but didn't so much as nod her head in acknowledgement.

"Nami's missing."

* * *

April 24

_

* * *

Dear Kaya,_

_ I know I haven't written very much since I left Syrup Village. I still miss you and Merry and the Usopp Pirates and everyone else – I hope things are going well at home. I wish I could say things are going as well here in the Grand Line, but they aren't. I want to lie to you and say everything is great but right now I can't._

_ Although I guess we have done some good in our travels (Luffy seems to do more helping than harming – it seems he just keeps doing what he did to save you and stop Captain Kuro on different scales over and over again), right now we're searching for Nami – that was the thief girl who was with Luffy – and our cook, Sanji, who you've never met. They both disappeared and we've been unable to find them. We don't even know if they're alive or dead anymore._

_ It's the most I've been scared the entire time we've been here, and there are a lot of scary things out here. Scary people, scary places, scary creatures and things – you'd be amazed at what we've lived though. Men who can suck the life out of a country or rule over a land in the sky with fists of thunder, some of the horrible things that the World Government does in the name of what it calls "justice" and floating haunted mansions crawling with Devil Fruit made zombies and a man who can steal your shadow. Kaya, Captain Kuro was like a playful, fuzzy little kitten compared to some of the monsters we've seen. _

_ And none of that is as scary as how scared I am for Sanji and Nami. Everyone is worried about what we might find. We've found nothing so far – not even a dead end to chase. We've been wandering from island to island, asking locals if they've seen them or heard anything – no one's heard anything. We've talked to our shipwright's old friends and family at Water 7 (that's where we got Sunny and the fight over Merry started – I still hope that didn't upset you, although Nami insisted that you'd be more happy I was all right than angry that Merry sunk) and we're on our way to meet another friend of ours in Arabasta._

_ Oh, right, we did run into this guy – Duval – who kinda looked like Sanji's poster (which is a pretty bad picture), but he's definitely not Sanji. He wasn't too happy to see us – he's been hunted by bounty hunters who think he's our friend, but he isn't, and he pretty much hates our crew. He said some pretty cruel things about what he hopes happened to Sanji._

_ Zoro got angry and . . . it didn't end pretty._

_ I know I've told you Zoro and Sanji didn't get along and, well, Zoro still refers to Sanji as "the stupid cook" or "the pervert chef "or something else . . . colorful, but I think he's gotten really defensive of Sanji and, in some ways, I think he feels guilty for all the times they fought and didn't get along. Deep down everyone knows they're friends – they just didn't show it all the time. Now that Sanji's missing I think Zoro's regretting not playing nice with him._

_ Luffy's taking it the hardest, I think. He's been trying to be the most optimistic and is always saying "When they get back we'll do this" or whatever but something about him just . . . doesn't feel right. I know you didn't get a chance to know him too well but you know what kind of person he is. Something about him is just a little bit off – he's spending a little bit more time by himself than usual and I don't know what to do._

_ I don't know what to do here, Kaya. I'm afraid the crew is about to fall apart._

_Sincerely,_

_Usopp_

* * *

Kaya folded the letter back up and put it back in its envelope. She didn't know the three members of Usopp's crew she'd gotten to meet very well, but Nami had helped to save her life and the village from the Kuro Pirates. She looked out her window at the tree branch where Usopp used to sit and tell her lies, frowning and praying that he was all right and that they'd find their friends soon.

* * *

April 30

* * *

Dr. Kureha had seen many strange things in her day. Living on a winter island had given her a more than fair share of idiots who had gotten their tongue stuck on some frozen piece of metal and various degrees of frostbite and hypothermia. She'd seen hundreds of babies born and hundreds of old men and women die. She'd treated everything from paper cuts to broken legs.

But a walking skeleton who could eat, drink, and (according to the Straw Hat) poop was a first.

"Sorry, can't do anything about him."

Brook would have raised an eyebrow at the old woman if he had one before Chopper stepped in front of him and shook his head. "Doctorine, this isn't about him!" Although the crew was crowded around Ace as he'd been temporarily demoted from "substitute navigator" to "walking space heater" (or promoted, depending on whom you asked), all eyes were on Dr. Kureha and the little reindeer.

"Well, what's it about?" she asked.

"It's about Nami and Sanji – you remember them, right?" asked Luffy.

Kureha nodded. "Yes, I do. The girl with the bug bite from an extinct insect and the stupid would-be Romeo with the injured back? I remember them," she said, taking a seat and crossing her legs. She hadn't expected to be hearing from Chopper and was glad to see it wasn't a medical emergency that brought him back to the island – if it was, she'd have been pretty angry with him.

"They're missing, and if they're hurt we were wondering if they were here."

Dr. Kureha paused, then shook her head. She folded her arms and took a few steps. "It isn't uncommon for pirate crews to lose men and women along their travels. Usually the crews are so largely that the leaders of the crew don't notice, but the size of your crew makes the gaps much more noticeable and much bigger than usual. Any number of things could have happened to them – they could have been forced to join another crew, quietly killed by another crew, any number of things." She turned to Luffy. "This is the Grand Line. You should have known something like this could have happened to you or your friends before you even got here."

Luffy stared firmly at the old doctor. "I'm going to find them."

Dr. Kureha lowered her gaze. "You may be on a fool's errand."

"I don't care."

"Then so be it."

* * *

May 4

* * *

No one wanted to take watch alone anymore – tonight was Brook and Franky's watching. The skeleton was quietly playing his violin while the cyborg absently looked out the watchtower for Marine ships or other pirate vessels, a bottle of cola in one hand. It was hard to say if anyone was sleeping. Robin was probably asleep on the couch in the men's room – she hadn't been able to stand being alone for a while now.

"It must be very hard for the others – much harder than it is for us," said the skeleton.

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?" asked Franky. He glared. "Are you saying they aren't our friends too?"

"They know them so much better than we do . . . you only joined shortly before I did, correct?"

Franky thought about what Brook said, then nodded.

"I only knew them for a little under two weeks when they were taken from us. For you it was what, a month?"

"About that," said Franky. "What are you saying?"

"I miss them both, but the bonds I have with them are not as strong as those Luffy or Zoro or Usopp has with them. Sanji and Nami have been with this crew since it formed in the East Blue," said Brook. He turned to Franky, putting down his violin and reaching for a cup of tea. "We didn't face Fishman Arlong. We didn't travel with that dear princess to fight Crocodile. We know nothing of the Sky Island, and although you were very involved in the affair at Water 7, I was not. There's much that the others have gone through together, bonded through, that we have not."

Franky sighed. "Still . . . they are our friends."

"Franky, my boy, what we are searching for is bonds that have not yet been formed."

". . . who are you calling 'boy?"

"I'm old enough to be your grandfather. Hush." He stirred in a sugar cube. "My point is this. Our bonds with them were just forming. I was just beginning to appreciate Sanji's talents as a cook and marvel at Nami's navigational abilities. I hadn't really gotten the chance to talk with them and get to know them. I've learned some things from the others, but I haven't heard it from THEM."

The cyborg sighed. Brook was right. He'd only heard Nami mention Arlong in passing and just accepted that Sanji didn't like food being wasted. He understood neither reference until after they'd vanished and Usopp told him their histories. Franky had only begun to start learning about his new family when suddenly he'd lost a little sister and a little brother.

He hung his head. "Yeah. I hear you, Brook-bro."

* * *

June 18

* * *

The search had gone over four and a half months. They had still found absolutely nothing. No bounty hunter bragged about catching one or both of them. No Marine reports surfaced about their arrest and subsequent execution. No other pirates they'd run into knew anything about it and if they did know, they weren't telling.

It was on this day they encountered the first crew they thought might be willing to help.

Usopp was the one who spotted the ship. It had a Jolly Roger with a grey hat and two tonfas in the place of the traditional crossbones. It was a slightly larger ship than the Thousand Sunny, and much to everyone's surprise it was hailing them. Confused, everyone took turns looking through a spyglass to see if they recognized the captain.

It wasn't until Luffy's face lit up in recognition and he rocketed towards the other ship that anyone knew what was going on. The others paused, confused as to who this person might be. Ace didn't recognize the man, so it didn't seem likely it was someone from their childhood. This raised an interesting question – who could it possibly be?

The ship swung around to the side of the Thousand Sunny and Luffy helped the captain aboard. Usopp and Zoro's eyes widened as they now recognized the man before them. "Wait a second – you're that guy who showed up on the Baratie and brought Don Krieg there!" said Usopp. "I thought you were poisoned!"

Luffy grinned. "Everyone, this is Gin! He's a friend of Sanji's!"

Gin nodded grimly. "I'm lucky to be alive, although I get sick more often than I used to." He coughed into his fist, nearly doubling over as Chopper screamed for a doctor. Once he remembered he was the doctor, he started to examine the other pirate before Gin shook his head and declined the offer. "Your captain told me what happened to Sanji. He's rough around the edges but he's a kind, generous man – I'd like to help you find him."

"Kind?" asked Zoro.

"Generous?" asked Franky.

Luffy blinked. "Oh yeah. Gin was really hungry and Sanji fed him so they're kinda friends except that Gin brought his old captain back to the restaurant Sanji used to work at so they got into a really big fight and then I kicked the captain's ass," said Luffy. He looked back at Gin's boat and the Jolly Roger. "So I guess you're your own captain now, huh?"

Gin nodded again. "Don Krieg and I parted ways not long after we left the Baratie. Some of his crew followed me and we built up our numbers a little to enter the Grand Line. They're all skilled fighters, and none of them use cheap tricks like poisonous gas or spiked capes," he said. He grinned. "I wouldn't allow it. If they're going to fight they're going to fight honorably, and they will NEVER harm anyone who has helped them."

Robin closed the book she had been reading and crossed her arms. "So he saved your life."

"Yes. He did. Our acquaintance is complicated, but I would like to do anything I can to help."

Luffy nodded, shaking Gin's hand. "Thank you."

* * *

July 2

* * *

This time, Chopper was the one who lit the candles.

Nami, as he understood it, didn't really know what her birthday was. Chopper didn't know what his was, either. He and Hiruluk had just celebrated it on Christmas Eve because it was about the right time and Hiruluk thought it would be fun to have a reindeer's birthday be Christmas Eve. So Chopper took it upon himself to commemorate the navigator's 'birthday'.

There were nineteen candles under one of Nami's trees. Chopper sat at the base of the tree in the middle of the candles, frowning as he watched the flames flicker before his eyes. Nami had been one of the only people who didn't freak out the first time she saw him. Luffy had been the one to invite him to join the crew, but she'd been one of the first to not scream. She knew he was helping her. And she was okay with it.

It was hard to believe she was alive, but Chopper looked at the candles around the tree and thought to himself that she had to be alive. They just needed to be patient and find them. Maybe they would find them tomorrow, or the next day. Once they found them, they could stop looking. They'd have a big party in celebration and then things could go back to normal.

Chopper couldn't stop the tears from falling as he started to bawl.

* * *

July 14

* * *

Luffy talked with Gin over the Den Den Mushi. No news.

Same with Buggy.

"Are there any other crews out there we're friends with?" Bentham asked.

"What about those salvagers?" asked Usopp. "The Saruyama Alliance?"

Robin shook her head. "They're difficult to find and I've heard rumors they have returned to North Blue. It seems unlikely we will encounter them again." She turned to Luffy. "Foxy the Silver Fox would be of no help, although if we encounter him we may wish to see if they've been absorbed into his crew outside of a Davy Back Fight – especially if he thinks he can't get any of our numbers that way."

"No, I don't think Foxy would have them – it's not his style," said Luffy.

Usopp crossed his legs. "Well, who else could it be?"

Zoro took a puff on his cigarette and tapped it into his ashtray – he refused to use Sanji's, and it had remained un-emptied and unused since the cook last used it. "Captain Morgan might have a grudge against Luffy but Sanji could probably take him out on his own – even if he couldn't Nami would be more than enough backup if things got ugly. Buggy is on our side, as is Alvida, even if that alliance IS temporary. Kuro could be looking for revenge, but he wouldn't know Sanji and, once again, I think the cook could take him."

"Don Krieg might have it in for Sanji and since he isn't above cheap tricks he may have found a way to outsmart them or out dirty-trick them," said Usopp. "Arlong is in Impel Down – he probably has a grudge against Nami and maybe Sanji, but as long as he's behind bars he didn't do it. Most of the Baroque Works agents have been arrested so it probably isn't one of them, either."

"What about Wapol?" asked Chopper.

Robin shook her head. "If you are referring to the former king of Drum, he's made a business for himself – he's put piracy behind him. I doubt he'd have the time for it." She took a sip of tea. "Bellamy the Hyena is dead and his crew has disbanded. Enel seems like an unlikely culprit although he could have easily taken them both out."

"Who's Enel?" asked Ace.

"Some guy with a thunder Devil Fruit who thinks he's God," said Luffy. "He went to the moon."

"What about CP9?" asked Franky.

"I think they would have gone after all of us, not just those two," said Zoro. "Then there's Gecko Moria's people – we would have heard if Moria himself got them but his crew might be a different story. Unless, of course, Moria was just looking for shadows again. But I feel like he would have tried going after at least me and Luffy again – Sanji and Nami wouldn't be enough for him."

Ace drummed his fingers on the table. "Is that it? No one else?"

Robin crossed her arms. "Then this means what happened may very well be random."

"Whoever or whatever took them away from us wasn't targeting us specifically," said Usopp.

Bentham looked out the porthole. "That means it could be . . . almost anyone."

* * *

August 29

* * *

There was a single, grim lead.

Usopp returned to the ship with a shopping bag from a local bazaar, a dead look in his eyes. He dumped the contents on the table of the galley, wordlessly looking at them. It didn't all happen at once, but slowly the others began to realize what the sniper had found and exactly what this implied for the cook and navigator.

A black tie, a cigarette case, a wallet and a wallet chain.

A pair of shoes, a bracelet, and a far too familiar Log Pose.

The cigarette case was inscribed "Bratty Eggplant."

The bracelet was inscribed "From Nojiko, With Love".

No one ate that night.

* * *

October 14

* * *

The newspaper sitting in the middle of the table was grim.

"Although the Straw Hat Pirates are still considered active and dangerous by Marine Headquarters and the World Government, a lack of recent sightings of Black Leg Sanji, bounty 77 million berries, and Cat Burglar Nami, bounty 16 million berries, has led to the conclusion that these very dangerous members of Monkey D. Luffy's crew are-"

"Usopp, don't say it."

Usopp obeyed his captain and slowly put the paper down. Still, it didn't change that the word they'd all been avoiding during their desperate search for the missing navigator and cook was written there on the front page. Usopp traced over the word with his finger and closed his eyes. The word rang through his head over and over and over again.

_Deaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddead._

"What now?" Ace asked.

"We keep looking until we find them," Luffy said simply. The rest of his crew looked at him grimly. "Nami and Sanji are alive. We just have to find them again and everything will be okay. Do you understand? Sanji wouldn't let anything bad happen to them – that's why he went with Nami that day. They went together so they're keeping each other safe."

"Luffy . . . I want to believe that. Really, I do. But it's been-"

"They're alive, Zoro."

"Just because you want them to be doesn't mean they are! Damn it Luffy, look at the facts!" Zoro got to his feet and slammed his hands on the table, stunning everyone around him. "It doesn't look good for them right now. It's been too long. The paper has a valid point – there's a very good chance that whatever happened to them-"

"Bura bura. Bura bura."

Everyone in the galley paused to look at the Den Den Mushi that had started ringing. Bentham stood to get it, but Luffy stopped him and moved to get the receiver himself. Usopp swallowed. Normally the little creature only worked with the baby Den Den Mushis on board, but it DID have outside access.

But who in the world would call them?

Luffy picked up. "Moshi?" he said.

There were a few seconds followed by a quiet, weak voice. _". . . Luffy? Luffy . . . is that you?"_

Luffy's eyes widened. He knew that voice and the shock of its sound made him nearly drop the receiver. He stared at the snail creature in disbelief. It was too perfect. He was ready to start crying, but his mouth stretched from ear to ear in the first real smile he'd had in months. "NAMI!" He yelled. He grinned. "Nami, you're alive!"

For a moment, it felt like they were whole again. Nami was alive on the other end of the Den Den Mushi. Sanji was probably okay, too. Things were going to be all right – Nami was going to tell them where she and Sanji were, explain their absence (clearly Luffy had been right all those months ago and they had just gone on an adventure and forgotten to bring everyone else along – maybe they had meat for him to make up for it), and everything was going to go back to normal. All they had to do was go get them.

The galley was in an uproar of hugs and tears and celebration.

Then Nami started to sob. But the navigator wasn't crying tears of joy and reunion – she sounded scared and hurt, and everyone slowly paused to listen. She wasn't laughing and saying she missed them, and there was no sound of Sanji in the background. The captain felt his hands begin to shake. "Nami?" Luffy asked innocently.

_"Luffy! Oh God, Luffy, help us! You have to save us . . . please . . . Luffy . . ." _The captain looked into the receiver helplessly as the galley suddenly fell silent again, save for the navigator's tears. The feeling of being whole again was laying there in shattered bits on the floor. She was still quiet, like she didn't want to be heard.

"Don't leave us here anymore . . ."

"Nami?" Usopp asked quietly.

_"They're hurting us . . ."_

Luffy's eyes went even wider and he slammed his free hand forward, leaning over the snail. His navigator was alive but she was hurt and someone was hurting her. "Who's hurting you!? Where are you!? What have they done! Nami, we're going to come get you and Sanji but you have to tell me where you are!"

There was a pause. _"Thomas Tesla." _She sounded terrified, her voice cracked and dry.

Nami was _broken._

"Son of a . . . FUCK!" Ace stormed out of his seat, ready to run somewhere but had nowhere to go. He slammed a fist into the wall of the ship. Franky and Zoro exchanged a confused look and Bentham raised an eyebrow. Usopp turned to the so-called Pirate Prince, didn't see an answer, but saw a very sick look on Robin's face.

"What do you mean 'hurting you'?" Luffy asked, his voice low and slow.

_"They're experimenting on us." _

The galley fell dead quiet. Ace didn't seem surprised by the revelation, but clenched his fists tight and gritted his teeth. The rest of the crew was looking at each other, trying to figure out what to do next before all eyes settled on Luffy, who hadn't looked away from the Den Den Mushi for even a second as he waited for Nami to say something else.

_ "They made us-"_ Nami was interrupted, and what followed was a horrible scream.

"NAMI!" Luffy screamed. Sounds of a struggle could be heard through the phone, mostly orders from unfamiliar voices demanding that the 'specimen' be contained while Nami struggled and screamed. Most of the shouting couldn't be made out through the Den Den Mushi, but little bits and pieces broke through.

_"Sedate Specimen 0543!"_

Nami was being hurt somewhere and all they could do was watch the Den Den Mushi.

_ "LUFFY! LUFFY! HELP ME! LUFFY!"_

She was begging for their help.

_ "HOLD HER DOWN!" _

But they were helpless.

_ "PLEASE! PLEASE HELP ME! CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN!"_

And they had been in that horrible place for more than eight months.

_ "Somebody shut her up!"_

And there they would remain.

_ "Has the specimen been contaminated?"_

Sanji and Nami were alive. But they were not okay.

_ "LUFFY! LUFF-"_

The click that followed was the worst sound in the world.

Usopp doubled over and threw up on the floor, but looked up and saw a blank look on Luffy's face. Bentham had already rushed over and was now holding the sniper's hair back and Robin had leaned forward and started to sob herself. Chopper was in full hysterics and Zoro had a blank, lost look on his face. Ace was glaring angrily at the floor while Brook tried to comfort the archaeologist and Franky picked up the hysterical little reindeer.

Luffy crushed the receiver in his hand. "I'm going to kill Tesla."

* * *

Luffy was sitting on the Thousand Sunny's lion head, his face in his hands. Ace was explaining to the rest of the crew who Tesla was in the galley – Luffy heard something about him being a mad scientist who ran his experiments on humans before he stepped outside to be alone, ordering his crew to not follow him. No one disobeyed the order.

_I failed them. Nami and Sanji need my help . . . and I've failed them. I don't . . . I can't . . ._

Feeling helpless wasn't a feeling Luffy was used to. He had known what to do in so many other situations. He'd had to get rid of Don Krieg to save Sanji's restaurant, and he'd had to take out Arlong and that room to save Nami. He knew he needed to find Tesla to save them this time, but he didn't know where they were. There was no princess with a name and a place to chase. There was no man pretending to be a god on an island in the sky. There was no pigeon man at the end of sea train tracks, or shadow stealing Shichibukai somewhere on a big, scary boat.

There was a man named Tesla on a boat. But Luffy didn't know what the boat looked like or where it was. But somewhere this man had his cook and his navigator, and he was hurting them, and Luffy didn't know how to stop him from hurting them so he would just continue to hurt them again and again and again.

Luffy's bottom lip started to quiver.

"Nami . . . Sanji . . ."

With no one around, Luffy sobbed.

* * *

Author's Notes

The folks reading on LJ (in particular the readership at 30_onepiece – hi y'all!) probably knew this was coming, while the FanfictionDotNet readers are probably a little "buwah?" right now.

For those of you foaming at the mouths demanding to know exactly what I did to Sanji and Nami there is more coming. For FanfictionDotNet readers don't track this story; although it is posted here as a one-shot it acts as a prequel to a much larger tale. STRUCTURALLY the series is set up similarly to the Lord of the Rings series (whereas one story leads into the actual trilogy – "Vanished" is to The Newton Series what The Hobbit is to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy). Also, the rating for this is T, but the rest of the series may be rated higher. Fair warning.

Also chunks of the next two stories are done, so updates should happen at a pace of about one chapter every one to three weeks. HURRAY!

-Dixxy


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